ESM girls lacrosse defeats J-D, 8-6

Dooling, DeVona help Spartans; F-M starts 1-1

In part one of this lively local rivalry, the East Syracuse-Minoa girls lacrosse team got the better of Jamesville-DeWitt.

The Spartans and Red Rams got together on a sunny Saturday afternoon – and though it was J-D’s home opener, it was ESM emerging on top in an 8-6 decision.

It was the Spartans playing strong on both ends during the first half. Not only did it put together some scoring plays, its defense frustrated J-D at every turn, getting lots of stops from goalie Courtnee Notaro, who had nine saves.

Down 5-2 at halftime, J-D tried to inch back, steeled by the work of its own goalie, Cameron Buck, who finished with 16 saves. But it could not catch up because the Spartans’ attack proved a bit more diverse.

Nicole DeVona, with a goal and three assists, anchored ESM’s efforts. Sam Dooling had a three-goal hat trick, while Katy Steigerwald found the net twice. Haley DeVona and Jenna Kenney also scored as Megan Legro tacked on an assist.

Just five Rams players earned points, with Carly Stone getting three goals and Caroline Kopp contributing three assists. Taylor Fallon scored twice and Meghan Byrnes had the other goal as Sam McKenna got an assist.

ESM, who had lost its season opener to CBA on March 28, got into the win column last Monday, easily taking apart Whitesboro in a 13-1 romp.

Other than a first-half goal from Amanda Chruscicki, the Warriors would produce nothing against an ESM side that won most of the draws and stayed in Whitesboro’s end, applying all sorts of pressure.

This led to a 9-1 halftime edge and more success in the second half, and Dooling set the pace, scoring five times, often taking passes from Haley DeVona, who had four assists to go with her lone goal.